Serial killers often bring to mind the image of a man, but history reveals a darker side where women, too, have committed terrifying acts. These women, from all walks of life, have shocked the world with their crimes, often using cunning and manipulation to carry out their deadly deeds. This list explores 15 infamous female serial killers who left a trail of fear and tragedy behind them. Each story is a reminder that evil doesn’t discriminate by gender. Prepare to learn about some of the most chilling figures in criminal history.
1. Aileen Wuornos
Aileen Wuornos, one of the most notorious female serial killers, was a troubled woman who turned to murder in 1989. She killed seven men in Florida, claiming they had either raped or attempted to rape her while she was working as a prostitute. Wuornos was eventually captured, tried, and sentenced to death. Her story became widely known through the 2003 movie Monster.
2. Elizabeth Báthory
Known as the “Blood Countess,” Elizabeth Báthory is one of history’s most infamous female killers. Born into a powerful Hungarian family in 1560, she was accused of torturing and murdering hundreds of young girls. Some legends claim she bathed in their blood, believing it would keep her young. Although the exact number of her victims is debated, her cruelty earned her a place in history as one of the most brutal serial killers.
3. Belle Gunness
Belle Gunness was a Norwegian-American serial killer who is believed to have murdered more than 40 people, including her husbands and children, in the early 1900s. She lured men to her Indiana farm through personal ads, only to kill them for their money. Gunness disappeared after a fire destroyed her home in 1908, leading some to believe she faked her death to escape justice.
4. Mary Ann Cotton
Mary Ann Cotton was a 19th-century Englishwoman who killed at least 21 people, including her husbands, children, and stepchildren, by poisoning them with arsenic. She collected insurance money from the deaths, fueling her deadly spree. Cotton was eventually caught and hanged in 1873, becoming one of Britain’s most notorious female serial killers.
5. Juana Barraza
Juana Barraza, known as “La Mataviejitas” (The Little Old Lady Killer), was a Mexican professional wrestler turned serial killer. She targeted elderly women, often posing as a government worker to gain their trust before strangling them. Barraza was convicted of killing 16 women, though she is suspected of many more murders. Her crimes shocked Mexico and highlighted the vulnerability of the elderly.
6. Dorothea Puente
Dorothea Puente ran a boarding house in Sacramento, California, where she preyed on the elderly and mentally disabled tenants. She murdered them, buried their bodies in her backyard, and continued to cash their Social Security checks. Puente’s polite demeanor masked her deadly intentions, and she was eventually caught in 1988. She was convicted of multiple murders and sentenced to life in prison.
7. Nannie Doss
Known as the “Giggling Granny,” Nannie Doss was a serial killer who murdered 11 people, including four of her husbands, two children, her sister, her mother, a grandson, and a mother-in-law. Her killing spree spanned from the 1920s to the 1950s. Doss used arsenic to poison her victims and was finally arrested in 1954. She confessed with a chilling giggle, which earned her her infamous nickname.
8. Jane Toppan
Jane Toppan, a nurse in the late 19th century, used her position to kill at least 31 people by poisoning them with morphine and atropine. She often experimented with dosages to see how the drugs affected her patients, sometimes lying in bed with them as they died. Toppan confessed to her crimes in 1901, claiming she wanted to kill more people than anyone else ever had.
9. Myra Hindley
Myra Hindley, along with her partner Ian Brady, was responsible for the “Moors Murders” in England during the 1960s. Together, they kidnapped, tortured, and murdered five children, burying their bodies on the desolate moors. Hindley’s involvement in these heinous crimes made her one of the most hated women in Britain. She was sentenced to life in prison and died behind bars in 2002.
10. Rosemary West
Rosemary West, along with her husband Fred, committed a series of murders in England between the 1960s and 1980s. The couple tortured and killed at least 12 young women, including their own daughter. The bodies were buried in their home and garden. Rosemary was convicted of 10 murders in 1995 and remains in prison, one of the UK’s most notorious female serial killers.
11. Amelia Dyer
Amelia Dyer was an English serial killer who operated in the late 19th century, targeting infants. Known as the “Baby Farmer,” Dyer pretended to take in unwanted babies for adoption but instead murdered them, often by strangling. She is believed to have killed over 400 infants during her criminal career. Dyer was eventually caught, tried, and hanged in 1896.
12. Leonarda Cianciulli
Leonarda Cianciulli, also known as the “Soap-Maker of Correggio,” was an Italian serial killer who murdered three women between 1939 and 1940. She dismembered their bodies and used their remains to make soap and teacakes, which she gave to friends and neighbors. Cianciulli believed the murders were necessary to protect her son, who was fighting in World War II. She was eventually arrested and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
13. Karla Homolka
Karla Homolka, along with her husband Paul Bernardo, was involved in the rape and murder of three young women, including her own sister, in Canada during the early 1990s. Homolka’s plea deal, which saw her testify against Bernardo in exchange for a reduced sentence, sparked outrage when the full extent of her involvement became known. She was released from prison in 2005, but her crimes continue to haunt her.
14. Dagmar Overbye
Dagmar Overbye was a Danish woman who murdered between 9 and 25 children during the early 20th century. Like Amelia Dyer, she ran a baby farming operation, taking in children from mothers who couldn’t care for them. Instead of finding homes for the babies, Overbye killed them, often burning their bodies in her stove. She was arrested, tried, and executed in 1929.
15. Vera Renczi
Vera Renczi, a Romanian-Hungarian woman, is believed to have poisoned 35 people, including her two husbands, lovers, and even her son, in the 1920s. Renczi was extremely jealous and paranoid, often suspecting infidelity. To keep her victims close, she killed them and placed their bodies in zinc-lined coffins in her basement. She was eventually caught and sentenced to life in prison.
Katy Willis is a writer, master herbalist, master gardener, and certified canine nutritionist who has been writing since 2002. She’s finds joy in learning new and interesting things, and finds history, science, and nature endlessly fascinating.
